Recovery
by outloux
Summary: Sakura, Sasuke, and the slow recovery of their bond. — post-war, Sakura/Sasuke
1. starlight

**title:** Recovery  
 **summary:** Sakura, Sasuke, and the slow recovery of their bond.

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* * *

starlight

* * *

Sakura waits for him at the gates of Konoha. Their bench is close by, a stone memorial to days gone by. Her heart clenches at the memory of it, his cold demeanor, her tearful confession, his whispered _thank you_ —

She sees the Uchiha in the distance.

He's finally come home. His eyebrows seem to be in a perpetual scowl, but his eyes soften at the sight of her, emitting signs of relief.

"Welcome back."

His lips curl the slightest bit upwards.

* * *

Naruto spends most of that day with Sasuke. Initial feelings of relief from Sasuke sour into feelings of annoyance as Naruto begs the raven-haired male to regale him with stories of his travels, over and over and over again. Lunch at Ichiraku hadn't satisfied the blond's desire to spend time with him as long as possible.

It's sunset, and the dobe is still talking.

"Did I tell you that I just passed my jōnin test by more than just a couple points? Iruka was so proud! Sasuke, you're not even a jōnin yet! How could you even think of becoming Hokage, dumbass?"

For what seemed like the millionth time that day, Sasuke suppressed the urge to punch his best friend in the face. After Naruto bragged about his exams for the umpteenth time, the Uchiha rolled his eyes so hard, he thought his Rinnegan might accidentally activate from the stress he was going through.

"I'm tired. I'm going home now," says Sasuke, finally deciding to give up. He had humored him long enough, and this wasn't exactly his idea of a good time spent in Konoha.

"No, no, I've got a special surprise for you," grins Naruto, grabbing Sasuke's only arm and dragging him through the streets.

"Let me go," sighs Sasuke futilely, resolving to leave the village for a longer period next time. The villagers stare at the future Hokage drag the Uchiha through the streets.

"Come on, I've got two arms again, you can't stop me with your single one even if you wanted to!" laughed Naruto, increasing his pace.

* * *

The Konoha 11 have decided to throw him a welcome back party at Yakiniku Q. Sasuke watches the rest of the rookies eat and joke around, but he cannot help but feel like he does not belong.

After all, he did promise to slaughter all of them for Itachi not too long ago.

Sweat gathers underneath Sasuke's palms.

Relax, he tells himself. Naruto is on his right, Sakura is at his left, and if he closes his eyes, things can feel almost right again.

"You, uh, look kinda uncomfortable," whispers Sakura, as the waiter brings another tray of marinated meat. The rest of the table cheers in excitement, hardly paying attention to the couple.

"What gave it away?" murmured Sasuke with an edge of sarcasm, watching as Naruto began to compete with Chōji in an eating contest.

"You keep looking around the room and..." starts Sakura.

She pauses to think.

"...I can just tell."

He raises an eyebrow at her response.

"I'm leaving," he says ever so softly to Sakura. The Uchiha feigns a trip to the bathroom, and Shikamaru lets him by.

It only takes five minutes for Naruto to figure it out and yell, "I can't believe the bastard is gonna skip out on the bill!"

* * *

Sakura leaves under the guise of finding and bringing him back to the party. None of them believe her, and Ino and Naruto send each other suggestive glances about what Sakura's true intentions must be.

She catches up to him easily, tracing his chakra signature. Naruto's chakra is like the sun, dazzling and almost too intense. Sasuke's chakra is more like the moon — radiant, yet not as bright as the sun. Powerful, but not overbearing like the blond's.

Sasuke says nothing when the pink-haired teen joins him at his side. Sakura sneaks furtive glances at him every few steps or so. He still has the features that made him so irresistible to her when they were younger, though his hair has grown tamer, and his eyes are softer.

They walk to the front of the Uchiha compound. After passing through a poorly barricaded gate, both of them decide to sit on some pieces of rubble. A wind passes through the air. Crickets chirp all around them, and fireflies seem to burst in and out of existence. The stars shine bright above.

Sakura looks at Sasuke, emerald eyes bright in the darkness. He looks in any other direction, suddenly uncomfortable.

"I'm still sorry," he finally says, after an eternity of silence.

Sasuke remembers the tears she's shed, the heartache she'd endured, and he forces himself to look at her: the diamond of her Byakugō, those grass-green eyes, the shape of her face — and suddenly, Sasuke doesn't want to look away, momentarily entranced.

She closes her eyes after a moment and sighs.

"I know."

* * *

Naruto loses steam after Sasuke entertains his presence for a couple days. And as if on a streak of good luck, Naruto is sent out on a mission by Kakashi, something that Sasuke suspects is a favor that his former sensei will cash in later on.

He walks almost aimlessly to the site of their first trial as Team 7, the Bell Test.

The Uchiha enjoys the quiet of the training grounds where they first fought against Kakashi. Sasuke leans against the tree and breathes slowly. He remembers his anger of his youth, the endless drive for vengeance, and the cycle of guilt and self-hatred starts to run through Sasuke's mind.

He closes his eyes tight in an effort to drive the memories and voices out, all of them reminding him of every misdeed committed, every innocent slaughtered—

"Up for a spar?"

He opens his eyes.

Pink hair, jade eyes, and a friendly smile greets him. Sasuke doesn't ask why or how she's here, relief needs no explanation.

"Even without my Sharingan, would you stand a chance?" he remarks condescendingly, standing up.

Sakura frowns, but quickly grins at Sasuke.

"Up for a wager?"

Sasuke raises an eyebrow.

"If I can get you to activate your Sharingan, you'll treat me to dinner. And not ramen, Naruto has fed me enough for a lifetime."

He unsheathes his sword, rushes forward and smirks, "I'm not Naruto."

* * *

To his faint surprise, she is actually pushing him to the limit of his abilities without his Sharingan. She's _fast_ and she hits _hard_. Every blow Sasuke blocks with the flat of his blade seems to shake him to his core, and he's actually concerned the blade might snap in half after blocking just one too many blows.

Sasuke knew she wasn't a pushover, he'd seen her cause the equivalent of earthquakes during the battle against the Juubi, but still, this was getting to be a little ridiculous.

Sasuke opts to dodge an incoming fist, and the Uchiha feels a hot blast of air rushing past his bangs. He kicks her directly in the stomach to create some distance, but Sakura is surprisingly sturdy and is only pushed back a foot or two.

"You're stronger than I thought," he says, as the pink-haired teen rushes forward.

"Don't patronize me," grins Sakura, "I'm not even getting started."

Her fists suddenly glow green with chakra, and Sasuke raises his blade to meet the incoming blow.

This time, Sasuke feels his blade almost give way and he's pushed back several feet, while her offense only mounts strike after strike at him, seeking to overwhelm. He runs a Chidori through his blade, hoping she'll think twice about hitting him again. The electricity will stun her nerves, slow her down for the rest of the sparring session-

"I said don't patronize me."

There's a brief moment of panic when she actually punches the flat of his chidori-infused blade, and he _still_ gets pushed back several feet.

They stare at each other for a moment. Sakura's hands are in a fighting stance, glowing with green chakra. Her lips curled up in a haughty smile.

"Naruto's the only other one to touch it head-on," notes Sasuke.

"Well," says Sakura, the ground cracking underneath her feet, "I'm not Naruto."

Again, Sakura surprises Sasuke with her speed. Additionally, her power has only increased with each blow. If Sasuke had his other arm, the sparring match would probably be much easier for him, if not a complete loss for Sakura. But his right arm had never been his dominant side, and Sasuke regrets not practicing more taijutsu to make up for his recent disability.

Sasuke picks up his own speed to match hers, but it's getting increasingly dangerous to try and match her blow for blow. One successful strike might actually put him in the hospital.

She goes for a leg sweep, followed up by another kick, and an insanely close punch to his torso. Another combo that comes increasingly close to hitting him finally forces him to activate his bloodline limit.

One crimson red, the other amethyst purple, and now, he can finally _see._ Sakura laughs in acknowledgement of her victory.

Even with his Sharingan and Rinnegan activated, Sakura is putting up a valiant effort. Still, Sakura loses more ground by the moment, as Sasuke now effortlessly parries each attack with one of his own.

"You cheater," smiles Sakura, as Sasuke moves his body smoothly to dodge another combo.

"You wanted this," remarks Sasuke, delivering a hard kick to her side. It knocks the wind out of Sakura, and Sasuke almost wonders if he's gone too far. He lets her catch her breath and looks for any reaction.

Sakura only grins and rushes forward to make her last stand.

At the end of it, she's on the ground with his sword at her forehead, and she's still grinning. Sasuke still considers this a win for himself. Sure, he's lost a bet, his ego and his body are both a bit bruised, but at least Sakura won't be potentially rupturing his internal organs or shattering his bones.

"Sit down. I'll heal you up."

The green glow of her hands softens somewhat and stitches together the minor scrapes and bruises she's given him. Sasuke looks at her again, and he feels entranced once more. The way she carefully examines a wound, the warm flow of her chakra running through his body, her inimitable skill and ability to heal, to renew.

Sakura looks up at him when she's done, wiping some sweat off her brow. Sakura turns a bright shade of red when she notices his intense gaze and looks away quickly. She turns around, and they lean against each other, using each other's backs as support.

Birds are chirping. The sky is blue. A breeze passes through the air.

"Where?" he sighs, finally standing up and sheathing his blade.

"What could you possibly be talking about?" Sakura says with a smile on her face.

Sasuke sighs again, but there's a feeling of content that radiates throughout his body.

* * *

Sakura decides to visit the street market.

The sound of children shrieking in delight, the bustle of the crowds, and the sizzling of meat is all rather nostalgic for the Uchiha. In his youth, Itachi had taken him to several street markets to celebrate certain holidays. Lost in thought, Sasuke barely notices Sakura take his wallet with a grin.

Sakura jumps from vendor to vendor, buying yakitori skewers, gyoza, onigiri, and a myriad of other foods for them to eat. For the second time that day, Sasuke can't keep up with her speed with his onyx eyes and decides to sit down on a bench under a tree.

It doesn't take long for him to notice that civilians are pointing at him and whispering, some of them with an angry look in their eyes, most of them fearful of his presence.

Sasuke understands.

After all, who wouldn't be anxious to see an ex-international criminal who tried to murder the Five Kage and the world's most popular blond idiot?

Still, Sasuke averts his eyes to the sky, feeling out of place once more.

"Hey," Sakura says, sitting down on the bench next to him.

The pink-haired teen has two handfuls of plastic bags filled with delicious smelling foods, which she places in between them. As if on cue, Sasuke's stomach growls rather loudly, and Sakura can only giggle while making her way through a meat skewer.

They sit like that for a while, with Sasuke taking bites out of an onigiri, and Sakura starting on some red bean dumplings. The Uchiha doesn't know why, but he feels self-conscious, as the villagers continue to point and stare.

Sasuke thinks he sees one of them mention Sakura's name on their lips, and he almost wants to activate his Sharingan to know for sure.

"Are you uncomfortable again?"

The looks and voices of the villagers seem to fade when he looks at her. Sasuke wonders what exactly it is about Sakura that he's so transfixed by — the regal diamond on her forehead or those grass-green eyes.

"How did you know?" asks Sasuke again, half-exasperated.

Sakura only laughs again. She manages to stifle it to a giggle after a couple moments.

"I told you already!" she smiles, taking one of the last skewers for herself.

"I can just tell."

Sasuke just sighs, leans back into the bench, and closes his eyes to enjoy the moment.

* * *

The Uchiha walks her home to her apartment. Sasuke wonders if they've both had a little too much rice wine at the night market, since neither of them can seem to stop talking. They speak about the past, for the most part. There's something about her bubbly personality that's infectious, and Sasuke can't help but smile at certain points.

"I'm serious, tell me more about Orochimaru!"

"I'd really rather not."

Internally, he shudders. The Sannin was always talking about the youth and perfection of his Uchiha body when they weren't training or performing tests on him.

Sakura seems to read his mind and laughs, "What? Did Orochimaru... _touch_ you or something?"

Sasuke curses himself for bringing up the mental image that she's conjured and cringes physically at the thought of it.

"I'm only joking," laughs Sakura, her body hanging off the guard rail so hard, he thinks she might break it with her prodigious strength.

The pink-haired teen opens her door after a moment of fumbling with her keys, and they stand there, Sakura on the inside, Sasuke on the outside.

"I had fun tonight, Sasuke. Thank you," she says, a deeper blush spreading across her cheeks. "Did you?"

The Uchiha tilts his head briefly in a nod. Despite the stares and whispers from the villagers, he did feel content at her side tonight.

They stand there for another moment, as crickets begin to chirp outside.

"Um...w-would you like to come in?" she finally says, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"I..." he pauses. The warm afterglow of the alcohol fades as Sasuke reprimands himself. This isn't right. He's done horrible things to her; he shouldn't be allowed within ten feet of her, let alone inside her personal home.

"No-no, it's fine, I'm sorry, I...shouldn't have asked, my bad," says Sakura quickly, shaking her hands frantically. The pink-haired teen laughs awkwardly, and Sasuke can only stare at her, somehow unable to move.

The moon shines bright and illuminates Sakura's face. The alcohol hasn't made the intensity of her jade eyes one bit weaker, and Sasuke wonders how long she's stared at him like this from afar.

"I'll come back sometime," he promises, mouth firm.

She nods and closes the door.

Sasuke waits at her doorstep for a moment longer wistfully and then walks away.


	2. warframe

warframe

* * *

After that recent burst of social activity with Sakura, Sasuke seems to have returned to his brooding self. Though he still engages in conversation with the pink-haired teen, it seems like he's tolerating conversations rather than truly enjoying them.

There's a shadow in his eyes, she muses one day while they eat lunch at the old training grounds. She takes bites from her bento box, glancing at Sasuke every now and then.

He is brooding quietly, that same darkness in his onyx eyes. There's small curiosity biting at the back of her head, and it has to do with Naruto way back when at the meeting of the five Kages.

A truth kept from her, about Sasuke, his clan, and Itachi.

And Sakura decides to pry.

"Sasuke?"

He grunts a "hn", and she continues.

"Could you tell me about...your clan and Itachi?"

The Uchiha immediately stiffens, as if prodded with a stick.

"What do you wanna know? My brother..."

He hesitates.

"...was a murderer and killed our clan off," he finishes, refusing to meet her gaze.

Sakura allows a moment to pass and responds, "Back at the Land of Iron, Naruto was about to say something about Itachi and 'the whole story'...but Kakashi stopped him."

Sakura has Sasuke's full attention now, a sharp stare that bores right through her.

She continues a little more nervously, "And I thought about it myself, and I realized it didn't make a whole lot of sense for you to jump from killing your brother—"

Sasuke stiffens again.

"—to wanting to kill all of Konoha and the elders of Konoha too."

There is a thin moment of silence.

"So I'm wondering...is there more to the story?" she asks, a hint of desperation in her voice.

Sasuke's onyx eyes bleed into crimson red and amethyst purple, and before Sakura can get a word out of her mouth, she falls into a world of blood and shadows. She is standing on a pane of glass, and Sasuke suddenly materializes in front of her, eyes agleam.

"This is Tsukiyomi, Sakura. Don't bring up Itachi, the clan, or Konoha up again."

The glass breaks, and she falls, screaming in fear as she plummets faster and faster and—

Sakura gasps an eternity later, eyes blinking away tears. She tries to glare at Sasuke, but finds herself too weak to do anything, still gasping for air.

He refuses to meet her gaze.

* * *

Her curiosity does not disappear. It increases almost exponentially, as well as a deep anger inside her stomach. Sakura thinks that enough is enough: there was no reason to genjutsu, no reason to hurt her, no reason to keep his walls up so tight.

Sakura resolves to ask him again.

On one of her days off from the hospital, Sakura pushes away her anger and convinces Sasuke to come out of his apartment and get some sunlight.

"It'll be good for you, Sasuke," she says, grabbing his wrist and pulling him outside. They walk almost aimlessly, but towards the general direction of the Uchiha compound.

While the rubble of his childhood home around them is a little off-putting, Sakura tries to be happy and cheerful around Sasuke, but the question regarding the truth remains burning at the back of her head. But she tucks that question further within herself and tries to focus on the birds chirping, the sunlight streaming down on them, the slight breeze, and the blue sky.

She looks to Sasuke.

There's a strange expression on his face, something like nostalgia and wistfulness. Sakura immediately regrets bringing him here, all the rubble a reminder of his family, his older brother, and everything that's he's lost.

"Sasuke, I think we should go-" she starts, but he cuts her off.

"It's alright," he says quietly, as if reading her mind.

They sit down together on a large piece of rubble.

Sasuke is still the same as from years ago. His eyes are still a cold onyx, his hair falling in front of his forehead, slightly covering his left eye. He breathes slowly, looking around at the rubble of former Uchiha buildings.

"Would you please just tell me...the truth?"

Sasuke stiffens, and Sakura can feel his chakra levels spike. She forces himself to meet his eyes. They are still onyx, and Sakura feels a little relieved.

"I told you before, it's none of your business," he says curtly. There is something beginning to burn inside of Sakura, like a hot ember in her stomach.

"It is," she frowns, eyebrows furrowing. "It is my business, because at first, we thought you would come back!"

Sasuke's mouth knits itself together. Guilt.

"We thought that when you finished with Itachi, you'd come back, but suddenly, you wanted to kill us all! Every last one of us!"

Sasuke refuses to meet her gaze, but she keeps on going.

"So I'd like to know what it was that made you want to burn Konoha to the ground."

There is a brief silence, before Sasuke murmurs something softly back to her.

"I'm sorry, but it has nothing to do with you."

"Do not give me that bullshit! I am your teammate!" she hisses, standing up. "Naruto and Kakashi-sensei got to know, so why don't I? I deserve the tru-"

One eye bleeding crimson red, the other glowing amethyst purple, Sasuke stands up and bites back, "Don't! You have no idea what you're asking for, there's good reason why Naruto and Kakashi didn't tell you, it's because you wouldn't understand!"

The complete evolution of the Uchiha bloodline limit meets nothing but her emerald eyes. Sasuke begins to shake ever so slightly.

Sakura thinks he's shaking with anger, but she realizes there's anxiousness, nervousness, a whirlwind of emotions brewing inside of him. Sasuke's eyes look almost glassy. He's using all of his willpower not to just break in front of her.

"Then help me understand," she says softly.

There is a moment of silence that feels like an eternity. They stand there, looking at each other. Sasuke darts his eyes around, as if anyone would be watching them and then back to her.

"Fine." he says, grabbing her head and forcing it close to his. She nearly screams in shock, but then she sees his Mangekyo and the tomoe of his Rinnegan spin furiously and she seems to be falling into something entirely new.

She looks around at her new surroundings.

A dark sky. A blood-filled battleground with the bodies of mere children scattered everywhere. Kunai and shuriken impaled upon soldier after soldier, the symbols of innumerable clans. This is something much worse than just a battle.

This is war.

"What is this?" gasps Sakura, her stomach turning upon itself after spotting the body of a mutilated child. Sasuke steps out of seemingly nowhere, his face empty of expression. He's already seen this scene before.

"This is life before Konoha."

* * *

She wakes up an eternity later.

He's sitting on the rubble once more, looking a thousand miles away.

Sasuke asks quietly, "Do you understand now?"

The pink-haired teenager thinks.

After learning everything, Sakura cannot come to an answer.

Her anger and curiosity is left with a dull empty feeling of knowing the truth and confusion about everything else. There's guilt and sympathy in the mix too, and Sakura is a mess of emotions, all of them threatening to spill out at the seams because there's truly no way to even begin to understand.

"It's...not in my..." she starts, looking down at the ground.

"I'm not in a position to say whether I understand or not. I'm not in a position to judge you either," she grinds out, her mind putting words to her mouth.

She looks up. Sasuke's eyes are onyx once more, a weird expression on his face, the shadow in his eyes replaced by something in between pity and wistfulness.

"Let's go back," he says, turning around and walking back to the house.

Sakura stays in the same spot for a while, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin, the gentle breeze in the air. She walks with him, the mess of emotions fading to a warm prickling in her chest that spreads warmth throughout her body.

* * *

 **notes:** updated on 1/30/19 to revise some scenes and dialogue.


	3. rainfell

rainfell

* * *

It's a cloudy day when she sees him again. They sit next to each other at a park quietly. Their last interaction seems to have been willingly forgotten by the both of them for the time being, although the memory of the anger and war and _everything_ still lingers.

There's still that shadow in the Uchiha's eyes, his lips drawn together in a slight frown.

She looks at his eyes and that shadow for a moment. Sakura knows that look.

"You're leaving again, aren't you?"

It's less of a question and more of a statement.

"Yeah," he confirms, his eyes refusing to meet her gaze. His onyx eyes look down instead, as the first droplets of rain start to fall. They sit together in silence for a moment longer.

"There's still things I have to do. I don't know how long it'll take," he says after a while, drawing his dark hood over his head as the rain continues to fall.

Sakura does the same with her own blue jacket. "I know that's the reason you'll give us, but I know that you can't..."

"I know you can't stand it here."

Something changes in Sasuke's demeanor, one eyebrow lifted in surprise.

"I know that it's too much of...nothing here in the village. That it feels like time has stopped and you can't move forward."

Sakura looks upwards, and Sasuke cannot tell if there are tears running down her cheeks or if it's just the rain. Sasuke continues to say nothing, his attention undivided.

"This is still your home. And I'll wait for you here," she says, rubbing the corner of her eyes gingerly.

"Like I always do," she smiles. It doesn't fool Sasuke. The rain continues to fall, intensifying with every second that passes by.

"Let's go," Sasuke finally says, standing up.

She follows him, and they walk together in the rain to her apartment. They say nothing, and her heart seems to grow heavier with every step. He's leaving yet again, and she hates herself for still feeling so disappointed, so helplessly attached to the Uchiha.

It's a downpour when they reach her front door, both of their jackets soaking wet. Still unable to look at him, Sakura opens the door and takes a step in. Sasuke doesn't move from his spot, and she takes notice.

"I'll see you later?" she asks weakly, water dripping from her jacket onto her linoleum floor. A flash of lightning rips through the air, the boom of thunder following soon after. He nods and turns to walk away.

"Wait! You should stay. It's terrible outside," she says, the words escaping her mouth faster than she can filter them. Sakura regrets the request as soon as the words leave her mouth, and she nearly backpedals her request like last time before Sasuke interrupts her frantic train of thought.

"Are you sure?"

* * *

She makes tea for the two of them. Sasuke sits at her kitchen table, looking out her window into the distance.

"Here," Sakura says, handing him a warm mug. They sip their drinks as the rain continues to fall violently, without any hint of it ever subsiding.

She sets her drink down after a while and looks at him. He catches her gaze, but quickly looks away.

"How do you think I've changed?" Sakura asks quietly, closing her eyes.

It takes him a while to respond.

"You're taller than before," Sasuke finally says, and the response is so...silly that she compares it to something that Naruto would say.

She opens her eyes to glimpse a smirk on his face, and Sakura can't help but smile as well.

"You're more confident. You're stronger than in the past. You don't need to be protected," he continues, his lips curved slightly upwards.

"You're a little less annoying too," the Uchiha adds, almost as an afterthought. Sakura doesn't know why the statement causes her cheeks to glow pink, and she hides her blush under the guise of returning to the kitchen to refill her drink.

"What about me?" he asks, as Sakura pours herself another helping.

"You're also taller." Sakura says without skipping a beat. Sasuke stares at her somewhat witheringly, although there's something like fondness in his eyes as well. They sit together at the table quietly for another moment, before Sakura breaks the silence.

"I don't think you've changed much. There were some stories Naruto and I heard while you were gone, and you were..."

The air seems to grow tense around them and she pauses, her heart constricting at the memory of Sasuke vowing to slaughter every last denizen of Konoha, the way his eyes were wide with madness, the way his fingers narrowed around her throat and—

"Unhinged that day at the bridge."

His eyes grow dark and distant for a moment and Sakura takes notice.

"But I know you've come back to who you really are. You care, Sasuke. No matter what you say or may not say, I know you care."

There are so many things that Sakura wants to say, but she just looks at him and hopes he understands what she's trying to get through to him.

His eyes close, and when they reopen, that dark and distant look is gone.

* * *

After they finish their tea, it's still pouring out, but Sasuke motions to grab his cloak anyway. They stand across from each other at her apartment door, and all Sakura wants to do is pull him into an embrace and whisper that it's okay to stay, it's okay to be here, it's okay to be unguarded, to be vulnerable.

But she leaves these things unsaid for another time, as Sasuke draws his hood over his head once more.

"When will you be leaving?" she asks, her grass green eyes looking up sharply at him.

"Soon. Probably tomorrow morning, if not tonight."

Sakura mulls over this information. He's spent his last hours here in Konoha with her, not with anyone else. Granted, Sasuke doesn't have anyone else really to spend time with, what with Naruto still out of the village, but still...

In the midst of her thoughts, he pokes her on the forehead gently. Sakura looks up to see a reassuring look in his eyes, his lips curved ever so slightly upward.

"Thank you again, Sakura. Don't worry, I'll come back—"

He cuts himself off at the end of his sentence. Their eyes meet, and there's a message and that certain fondness that's reflected in those onyx pupils. And when he departs, Sakura cannot forget that look in his eyes and what she thinks he really wanted to say:

 _I'll come back to you._

* * *

 **notes:** revised on 1/30/19


	4. courier

courier

* * *

Sakura breathes in deep. The battlefield is deeply scarred, grooves in the earth indicating the intense scale of battle. The Juubi roars in the distance, and her bones shake. Naruto and Sasuke are up ahead clearing out Juubi clones when the blond is suddenly impaled by Madara. Naruto slumps over, blue eyes dull. Her eyes widen, her mouth open in a silent scream. Madara laughs. The moon is stained now with the color of blood. Sasuke clashes briefly with Madara, before the elder Uchiha seems to use a genjutsu. Sakura feels a brief degree of relief. Sasuke wouldn't fall that easily to illusions, he's an Uchiha as well.

But her breath hitches when Sasuke now turns to face her, his left eye an amethyst purple, his right eye a brilliant crimson. His eyes are dark with anger, and she trembles as he walks towards her menacingly, arm outreached for her throat.

Sakura can barely move as his fingers wrap tighter and tighter around her windpipe, and she can barely make out the words on his lips.

" _Useless_ as always—"

She wakes up in a cold sweat, shaking and unable to breathe. There's a deep chill in her spine as Sakura unconsciously rubs her neck, reminding herself that she can breathe, that she's alive, that the war is over, that Sasuke would never...

Sakura bursts into tears, hugging herself back to sleep.

* * *

She does not see Sasuke for several months after their last moment together in her apartment. Kakashi-sensei had claimed that the Uchiha had appeared for the briefest of moments to break up the meteor heading for the village during Naruto's battle with Toneri, but few had spotted him otherwise. There were rumors, of course, that he was lurking within the underbelly of the Land of Fire, either actively rooting out corruption in the shinobi system or secretly supporting it to overthrow the Hokage. Sakura does not believe in village gossip, but the latter rumor sends chills down her spine.

"Aren't you worried about him?" asks Ino, shaking the pink-haired girl out of her train of thought. They had gone for a stroll down a popular street for high fashion, though Sakura had little interest in buying new clothes. But the edges of winter were beginning to melt, giving way to warmer nights signifying the beginning of spring. So, in the end, Sakura relented.

"Who?" responded Sakura, feeling somewhat dumb.

Ino rolled her eyes.

"Oh. Not really, I suppose." lied Sakura, feigning interest in a nearby rack of dresses.

Ino rolled her eyes again, crossing her arms for emphasis. "Do you even talk to him? Like does he visit at night or something? Sai still comes around about once a week, though he's busy with reorganizing ANBU."

"I...have not spoken with him for a while," Sakura says hesitantly. She adds, at the sight of Ino's raised eyebrow, "Since the end of the summer."

"It's like he's still a missing-nin," Ino sighed, shaking her head. But the blonde noted Sakura's frown and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Listen, I get it. You want to help him. And he's still handsome!" admitted Ino, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "But I'm worried about you. I know he's reformed, but Sasuke has really changed. I think you should move on...for your sake. And I'm not just saying that because I once pined for him too."

Sakura pursed her lips. "I know you're right. Who in their right mind would still hold a torch for him after all he's done?"

"Naruto," both of them say somewhat absentmindedly.

After a brief chuckle, Sakura continues. "But I just...have trouble letting go." Unconsciously, Sakura twists her fingers into a jumble.

"I know he's..." Sakura hesitates, trying to find the right words, "...distant, but he still needs support from someone. Someone else that he can come back to, besides Naruto. Do you know what I mean?"

Ino's eyes look at her somewhat sadly. "No. But just know I worry about you, okay?"

Sakura smiles, a mix of sorrow and wistfulness. Ino takes Sakura's hand and tugs her along down the street. "Come on, let's go. I think I saw some jewelry that would look nice on you!"

* * *

3:15 AM.

Sakura is having a restless night, plagued with regrets of the past and worries about the future. She is afraid to fall asleep. Sakura can hear every sound in her apartment, the systemic whir of the AC unit, the slow drip from her kitchen faucet, creaks in her floorboards from the wind—

Tap-tap-tap _._ Tap-tap-tap.

" _Now I can add whatever that noise is to the list,"_ noted Sakura, turning her head into her pillow. The tapping continues for several minutes, before the pink-haired girl decides to leave the warmth of her bed and investigate the noise. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she finds that it's coming from her bedroom window.

How strange. A crow?

Sakura opens the window to shoo the bird away when she realizes that the bird has something attached to it's leg. A small blue scroll, rolled up and tied neatly with black string. Sakura gingerly unties the scroll, as the crow caws somewhat loudly. The crow hops into the warmth of the apartment and sits down comfortably on her desk. Too tired to force her new visitor to leave, Sakura takes a seat at the desk and eyes the scroll once more.

Unfurling the parchment, Sakura's heart skips a beat when she recognizes the handwriting.

 _Sakura,_

 _I will be in the Land of Fire in one week. Meet me at noon at the end of the Naka River._

 _Sasuke_

Two sentences, brief and to the point. After months of absence, she would see him once more.

The crow caws loudly again, this time standing on it's legs. It motioned one leg out and picked up the string with it's beak.

"Does it want..." murmurs Sakura, studying the raven's body language, "me to tie the scroll back?" The raven seemed to nod in agreement, though Sakura wondered if she was just suffering from the effects of fatigue.

Not wanting to fall short of Sasuke's standards on brevity, Sakura writes a small _OK_ on the scroll, rolls the scroll back up neatly, and ties it to the crow's leg once more. Afterwards, she smooths out a feather on the crow's torso affectionately, which the bird seems to like, cawing loudly before flying out the apartment window.

Wondering how long the raven would have to fly, Sakura closed her eyes and fell into the clutches of sleep.

* * *

note: this story will probably be about 10 chapters in length. i have a zelda fic in the works, so this'll be good practice for getting back into my writing habits. i have a rough idea of the plotline from here on out, but let me know if you have any ideas or thoughts in a review and i'll do my best to accommodate you.

thanks to parsat for a review and all the new favorites :)


	5. skeleton crew

skeleton crew

* * *

The week passes by quickly. Sakura spends her time largely at the hospital, though there are now few shinobi-related injuries to treat. It is a time of peace, after all. The majority of her days are spent curing the minor maladies of civilians, who thank her graciously and often ask her to regale her with stories about the Hokage-apparent Naruto (or out to dates, which she always declines politely).

Of course, they never ask about Sasuke.

Otherwise, Sakura spends her time in the medical library. Before, there was never time to read old scrolls or medical textbooks. There was always a mission, training with Tsunade, or something else.

Then the war came.

But peacetime had made things quiet enough for the pink-haired teen to make long retreats into her studies. For Sakura, intensive reading on wild herbs and treating fungal infections was a delight.

But, taking note of the time, the Sakura notices that she ought to head to the end of the Naka River soon. She stores the scrolls in a simple one-strap bag that she had purchased with Ino earlier. Sakura tries to squash the the bubbling feeling of excitement in her stomach, but hopping from rooftop to rooftop, Sakura can't help but smile.

Sasuke would finally be back, at least for a little while.

* * *

Sakura arrives at the mouth of the Naka River. Largely surrounded by forests, the area is slated to be under development within the next decade. Still, there's a serene beauty to the area. Large, yet thin, sheets of ice cover the water from an overnight temperature drop. Sunbeams stream down and bounce off the ice, giving the area a certain sparkle. Still, winter is still giving way to spring, as the air seems soft compared to several days ago. The flowers would bud, given some more time.

There's another chakra signature now, having appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He's dressed in a large, tattered poncho, with purple bandages wrapped around his head and waist. Unkempt bangs cover his left eye. Sakura can't help but giggle.

"You look like a hobo," she teases.

Sasuke's uncovered eye narrows slightly.

"Hn," he grunts, brushing the bangs away from his left eye. His Rinnegan is activated, but curiously, the tomoe aren't present. Sasuke takes a moment to examine her, and Sakura feels slightly awkward standing there all of a sudden. His line of vision starts at her Byakugō, down to her gloved hands, to her winter nin-boots.

"You look healthy," he finally croaks, shifting his bandages with his right arm. He looks towards the river. Sakura joins him.

The pair of them stand there peacefully, with the wind blowing in the distance and the river rushing past. There is warmth in Sakura's heart, for all of two minutes, before Sasuke turns to speak with her.

"We're looking for remains," Sasuke says, taking tentative steps atop the river. "Specifically, the remains of Shisui Uchiha."

Sakura frowns, molding chakra to stand atop the river alongside him. She recalls hearing the name Shisui once or twice in her childhood, but the name hardly brings back a clear memory. "Who is he? And why?"

"Shisui was..." Sasuke starts, before frowning. "It'd be easier this way," he says, right eye blossoming into his Mangekyo's kaleidoscope of crimson and black. Sakura takes one glance, and Sasuke dutifully replays Shisui's history, his relationship to Itachi, and his ultimate death at the Naka Falls.

She gasps, legs nearly failing her, when the genjutsu is over. Noticing that her hands have broken out into a sweat, Sakura huffs, "Couldn't you give me a little more warning beforehand?"

"I apologize," the Uchiha responds curtly, before biting his thumb. Sakura watches him perform a one-handed version of boar, dog, bird, monkey, ram, before summoning several snakes upon the water's surface. He appears to whisper something to them before they dip gracefully beneath the surface, shimmying their way deeper into the river.

"We are here because to eliminate any traces of Shisui's genetic material," explains Sasuke, holding his thumb out to Sakura.

She molds together a warm glow of green chakra, stitching together the small scratch. He murmurs a thank-you before continuing, "Kabuto's Reanimation Jutsu, originally Orochimaru's and the Second Hokage before him, relies on genetic material to bring shinobi back to life."

"While Naruto trusts Kabuto to never do such a thing again, I'm not so forgiving. Additionally, eliminating Shisui's remains now will ensure that no one will use it in the future either."

"Those snakes I just summoned will search the deeper parts of the river, places where it may be difficult for us to search. They'll notify me of any suspicious locations. For now, we should head on foot up to Naka Falls looking for anything strange. Let's go."

Sakura nods and follows the Uchiha's lead, a sense of relief flooding through her system. While she had never given the village gossip the time of day, the constant rumors that Sasuke had been up to less than savory endeavors were fuel for anxious thoughts, to say the least. Sasuke truly was on the lookout for future threats, though he had been intensely secretive about his journey.

For the rest of the day, Sasuke hardly speaks. She steals furtive glances at him, occasionally meeting his line of sight and awkwardly looking away. Even in his current attire, there is still something rather attractive about the Uchiha, with his focused gaze and quiet demeanor.

Her heart feels full, being close to him once more.

Occasionally, they overturn large rocks to be thorough. Sakura hefts them into the air or shatters them with a single punch without a second thought. Sasuke raises an eyebrow, quietly impressed by her strength.

The day carries on slowly, though occasionally, a snake wriggles its way out of the surface, whispering something silently into Sasuke's ear before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Sakura is hopeful for intriguing news, but each time, Sasuke lets out a brief sigh and shakes his head before moving forward.

The sun begins to set just as they begin to reach the waterfall. There are few clouds today, and there is a brilliant mix of orange and red in the sky that shimmers and reflects against the river's surface. Even Sasuke takes a moment to appreciate the scenery, although he moves to inspect the waterfall shortly after. Sakura follows, shuddering as the chill of the waterfall's spray penetrates her skin.

Sakura ignores the chill and gets on her knees to take a closer look beneath the surface. But the waves of the Naka Falls continue to distort her vision, making it impossible to make any proper judgement. Only someone with visual prowess could really scan the area, and after a brief moment, Sasuke lets out another sigh before deactivating his bloodline limit.

He turns to look at her, shuddering in the cold. For a brief moment, Sasuke's visage betrays guilt.

"Let's make camp."

* * *

He makes a small campfire with a simple katon jutsu and motions for her to sit close to the flame. Sakura inches as close to the fire as she can get, hugging her knees and savoring its warmth. Winter was still melting away, but there was still a chill in the air. Practically getting soaked by the waterfall hadn't helped either. The Uchiha leans against a nearby log, closing his eyes. He looks somewhat pensive, with his singular hand in his pocket.

After a day of hardly speaking, Sakura resolves to pry a conversation out of him.

"Are we going to keep searching for his remains?" she probes, searching for any flicker of emotion across his face.

A brief pause.

"No," he sighs, looking off into the distance. Sasuke continues after appearing to give the topic some thought, "...it was likely a fool's errand in the first place. My summons couldn't find anything. Years have passed. He died at the falls, so fish and other wildlife would've gotten to him if the water didn't already decompose his body fast enough. Even if he hadn't decomposed completely, Shisui would've been carried out to the ocean by now."

Sakura frowned. That was a natural conclusion to come to, something Sasuke already should've thought of. And if he had already thought of such an outcome, Sasuke would've never come back to the village. There's a small spark of curiosity in Sakura's mind. "But you already knew that, didn't you?" asks Sakura nonchalantly, huddling closer to the fire.

"...I suppose," he admits, closing his eyes again.

"So...why are you here?" she asks rather boldly, looking intently at his reaction. Subtly, his mouth widens briefly before snapping shut. Checkmate, she thinks. Sakura shouldn't be this proud to catch him off guard, but he's always quite observant and non-emotive that she can't help but give herself some credit.

"...the Land of Fire is a beautiful place," he says somewhat lamely, and Sakura can't help but chuckle.

"Liar," she teases.

Sasuke closes his lips together and shrugs, "I'm not wrong."

"Why are you really here?" inquires Sakura, suppressing a giggle.

Sakura thinks that there's a faint blush that appears on his cheeks, but she convinces herself it's a trick of the light from the campfire. Sasuke, sole heir of the Uchiha Clan and rival to the next Hokage, does not blush.

But then Sasuke looks at her deeply with those onyx eyes and pauses for far too long in finding an answer, and now, Sakura feels her own cheeks flush, though she hopes the campfire has a similar lighting effect on her visage. He starts to speak, but appears to think better of it.

"Regardless of Shisui's remains, there's another reason why I'm in Konoha," he finally says with a tone of urgency, shifting the topic. Sakura is somewhat disappointed, though she resolves to revisit the prior subject at another time.

"I need to revisit each of Madara, no, rather, Obito's hideouts. When I was in the Akatsuki," he pauses, seeing a brief moment of discomfort flash across Sakura's face.

He continues after a brief moment, "...I took notice of dangerous information and materials that he had collected. Now that the war is over, they need to be destroyed. Obviously, there's the Mountains' Graveyard and some satellite hideouts in Kumo and Konoha that I know of, but there are a number of other hideouts that Obito probably never told me about."

"He'd been in hiding for years, so there are probably dozens, if not more than a hundred hideouts. I've managed to clear out a good number of them, but..."

Sasuke trails off, eyebrows furrowing. He closes his eyes again, appearing to think more deeply on the subject.

After growing tired of waiting, Sakura speaks up once more. "This is all very serious, and it certainly explains why you've been gone for a while," she says, shaking the Uchiha out of his train of thought. "But it still doesn't explain why you're here. In Konoha."

Sasuke pauses and opens his mouth before closing it again. The Uchiha looks straight at her again. Intensely. Sakura refuses to blush, still fervently hoping the campfire is a viable excuse for the shade of red she is currently turning. They both look away from each other.

Finally, Sasuke sighs quietly.

"I do intend to clear out the rest of these hideouts. But..." he pauses again, unable to look at Sakura now.

"I would like to take you with me."

* * *

notes:

if you took notice of the time they spent at this location before searching for Shisui's body, you'll notice it matches up with the description Sakura provides Ino with regarding her first date with Sasuke in the Boruto anime. i'm sure it'll be retconned in that mess of a plotline, but for now, i think it's kind of nice to think that Sakura considers that moment before the search to be Sasuke's subtle way of trying to spend time with her.

fanofthisfiction: thanks for your kind reviews! like another reviewer said, i think i'm trying to portray their romantic relationship as an undercurrent to the story.

Tropicallight: i hope this chapter answered your question :))

thanks to all the new favorites/alerts! i appreciate them. drop a review if you can too! they help fuel my updates.


	6. getaway

getaway

* * *

Sasuke appears to have given the journey some serious thought, and the explanation he gives Sakura seems almost rehearsed. The pair of them would travel to clear out the fifty to sixty remaining hideouts that Obito had created during his years in the Akatsuki. Of the hundred or so hideouts that had been created, Sasuke had already cleared out the safest ones, which contained little more than medical supplies and a place to rest. The remaining ones were dangerous, to say the least.

Therein lies the reason for bringing Sakura along. Yes, Sasuke may be the reincarnation of a powerful and ancient shinobi, but he's still human. Obito has planted traps before: one wrong move, and he could end up seriously injured or even dead. Thus, as a highly qualified medical ninja, Sakura would provide a second eye and emergency first aid if need be.

Sakura nods along to the terms, speechless. Largely due to the fact that the first time she had proposed working alongside him, Sakura had ended up unconscious on a bench.

The second time, though a facade on her part, had gotten her nearly impaled by his Chidori.

She tries to ignore the chill that runs down her spine when she thinks about it.

"You don't have to give me your answer right now," he says, shaking her out of the past.

"I understand this is rather abrupt. But you have time to decide. I'm leaving very soon to collect some final info on the specific number and locations of a couple hideouts anyway. I'll return afterwards and ask Kakashi formally to bring you on a mission."

"I see," she manages to say after a long silence. The fire has been reduced to embers over the length of his explanation. But the chill of the waterfall had long been eliminated, and Sakura feels warm once more. There's that gentle prickling in her chest now, thinking of the situation he had proposed.

She holds back a chuckle. Had Sasuke Uchiha proposed a solo journey with her back during her genin days, she might've died of excitement.

"Do you have any questions?" he asks quietly.

"I..." she pauses.

"It's just a lot to take in," she chuckles, standing up and patting the ash off her body.

"I would love to come with you, Sasuke. But I do have one question."

He nods.

"Why me?"

Sasuke's response comes too quickly. "Like I said, you're a highly qualified medical ninja."

"Plenty of 'highly qualified medical ninja'. Ino is one too, why didn't you go ask her?" she presses, crossing her arms.

Sasuke sighs.

"You're being difficult."

There's a flare of anger inside Sakura's heart now. Was Sasuke so entitled that he really expected her to drop everything for him so suddenly? He might not have a life in the village, but there are plenty of reasons for Sakura not to go on an extended expedition as a glorified first-aid kit.

"Humor me. It's the least you can do after all this time, I think," she says, the words coming out a little too bitter for her taste. Sasuke's face shifts uncomfortably, no doubt sharing her own thoughts of the past. He looks up at her, resolute jade eyes boring straight into him.

"Fine. You're not just a highly qualified medical ninja," he admits, choking the last embers of the campfire underneath his foot.

"...I think you're probably the best medical ninja alive right now. I wouldn't want to put my life in anybody else's hands."

Sakura doesn't blush, but the nape of her neck and back of her ears are turning hot.

Sasuke continues. "Your strength is...I'm still surprised by it, even after the war."

A longer pause. Sakura doesn't speak. The fire is already dead, but Sasuke absentmindedly continues to crush charcoal, refusing to look at Sakura.

"I don't think I could bring anyone else," he finally says, staring at the sky.

"Naruto?" she offers half-jokingly.

Sasuke scoffs and raises an eyebrow at her. "As if I'm gonna spend more than a day with that idiot. If anything, he's likely to get us both killed, careless as he always is."

Sakura chuckles alongside him for a moment. The wind blows, and Sakura hugs her arms, wishing the fire was still intact. "Is my answer enough?" Sasuke asks.

"Yes," Sakura says genuinely, emerald eyes meeting his directly. His onyx eyes seem somewhat surprised, but they soften quickly.

"Thank you for telling me. It means a lot to me."

The Uchiha nods, and they stand there for a moment longer together.

* * *

True to his word, Sasuke departs right after he escorts her back to her apartment complex. Sakura invites him in once more, but he taps her on Byakugō lightly and disappears. He'd taken after Kakashi's fondness for sudden exits.

In his absence, Sakura's days blur together again in a rush of clinic hours, late-night medical text study sessions, and preparing for Naruto and Hinata's wedding. There are times when Sakura thinks his chakra is just outside her apartment, but she chalks it up to wishful thinking. Sasuke has more important things to do than keep a close eye on her safety within the village.

As if to prove her point, Sasuke is not there to celebrate Naruto and Hinata's wedding, sending a hawk in his liege. The hawk carries a one-word message written elegantly on one sheet of paper:

 _Congratulations_

"What a bastard," grumbles Naruto after Sakura presents him with Sasuke's message. He nearly snatches it out of her hand, carefully examining it for any secrets.

After nearly a minute of examination, the blond frowns and sighs melodramatically, "He's really outdone himself with this wedding gift."

Sakura laughs as the blond continues to complain about how the paper smells like bird dung and how it's probably just some cheap crap from the garbage pail. But she sees him carefully fold and tuck the piece of paper into an inner pocket after his exaggerated rant, and Sakura is not surprised when she sees it framed in Naruto's house the next time she visits.

* * *

It had been a late night spent deep within the medical archives. As Sakura unlocks the door to her apartment, she reviews the ratios of a mandrake grass and crimson-roe flower poultice. Both herbs were rather common within the Land of Fire, and if mixed in a specific ratio, they could be used to treat fungal infections and seal up any bleeding—

Sasuke Uchiha is standing in her apartment.

She doesn't bother to ask him how he got in, he's a ninja after all. Sakura looks over his appearance, soaking up every inch of his presence. The rags he had been previously dressed in were gone, and a slim black cloak now covers the majority of his frame. Those purple wrappings around his forehead are also no longer present, his bangs left an unruly mess. He's holding up an old picture frame of Team 7, and something that looks like nostalgia passes on his face.

The Uchiha turns to face her.

"I thought you would be home sooner," he says quietly.

Sakura puts down her things and moves to embrace him. Sasuke almost stiffens when she touches him, but she feels his torso relax under her arms after a brief moment.

"Are you hungry? I think have some tomatoes in the fridge," she says, pulling away from the Uchiha. He shakes his head, but his lips curve upwards in a display of gratitude. Sakura moves to the fridge anyway, ravenous from hours of study.

Hunger overcoming her self-consciousness, Sakura devours an onigiri in two massive bites and moves to eat another one. Sasuke looks on impassively.

"You missed Naruto's wedding, you know," she says, in between smaller bites of her onigiri.

"I tried to find him earlier today while you were still at the hospital," says Sasuke, suddenly looking seriously uncomfortable.

Sakura takes notice and asks, "What's the matter?"

Sasuke shakes his head, closing his eyes.

"Nothing. I found him, after using my Sharingan to trace his chakra. He had been..."

Sasuke pauses to find the correct wording.

"...consummating his marriage."

Sakura nearly chokes on her onigiri laughing. She had always questioned whether or not Naruto had even had a sex drive. Yes, there was puppy love for her, back during the early days of Team 7, but the blond had recently confused love of ramen with romantic love just before the incident with the moon!

"Was your Sharingan still activated?" smiles Sakura, pouring herself a glass of water.

"I really wish it hadn't been."

Sasuke looks off into a corner, half of his face still visible. She takes a good look at the Uchiha, taking sips from her glass. There is a wry smile on his face, a rare sight to behold. He looks somewhat serene.

But soon his brows furrow and the smile evaporates from his visage. It's time to talk about business.

"I've located and confirmed the last of the hideouts. Tomorrow, we'll meet with Kakashi and leave as soon as possible."

Sakura finishes her drink and nods.

"Do you have any preparations to make?"

The day he had left, Sakura had prepared a small bag full of medical supplies and rations. There was little else that she would need, save for some medical texts she could finish reading on the road. She hadn't yet completely memorized the herb ratios for certain poultices, and Sakura thought that it might come in handy should they be forced to rely on wild plants for medical treatment.

The pink-haired teen shakes her head no and stifles a yawn.

"Get some rest. If all goes as planned, we'll be out of the village by tomorrow afternoon," says Sasuke quietly, moving for her apartment door.

"Wait," says Sakura quickly. He pauses.

"You...don't have a place to sleep, do you?"

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. Sakura looks at the floor and ignores the heat spreading across her cheeks.

"Why don't you stay here tonight? You've been on the road for a while, so the couch and some blankets will be an improvement. Unless you want the bed, in which case—"

"Sakura," he interrupts. She looks up and is surprised to see a genuine smile on his face.

"Thank you."

* * *

"Clearing out Obito's hideouts, eh?" drawls Kakashi lazily, left eye closed, right eye looking at Sasuke with mock suspicion. "Sounds like a good excuse for a romantic getaway, if you ask me."

Kakashi looks at Sakura with an eyebrow raised, who blushes and shifts her own gaze to Sasuke.

"Who do you think I am?" the Uchiha asks rhetorically, his countenance remaining impassive.

Kakashi sighs melodramatically and looks over his former students. There's a twinge of pride and nostalgia at his heartstrings, and he wonders if this is what it's like to be a parent, watching them all grow up.

"Sakura, I assume you're ready to leave then," the Hokage says, his tone of voice serious. Sakura nods again, and Kakashi folds his hands together.

"I approve this mission. You may both leave at your convenience."

Sasuke and Sakura both bow their heads slightly in an act of gratitude and turn to leave. Just as Sakura leaves the room, Kakashi's voice calls out unexpectedly.

"Sasuke. I forgot I had something else to tell you in private. Stay here for a moment, if you would."

Sakura looks at the Uchiha, who shrugs and turns around. Sakura closes the door for the pair and presses her ear to the door as soon as possible, trying to make out their conversation. But there's nothing but faint murmurs, and she quickly pulls away when she hears footsteps coming forward.

Sasuke emerges, his visage blank. Kakashi waves goodbye, both eyes crinkling happily.

"What did he say?" probes Sakura as they walk through the hallways.

"Nothing of importance," responds Sasuke, his tone clipped.

Sakura decides not to press him any further. They exit the building, shoulders barely brushing together.

* * *

"The distance from hideout to hideout is about one day. We won't make to the first one tonight, but we should be there by tomorrow afternoon."

The two of them jump from tree to tree, Sasuke taking the lead. They had left Konoha shortly after paying a visit to Naruto, who wished Sakura a safe trip and shot a sly grin at Sasuke, who had remained silent.

The sky was clear, a glow of auburn and yellow on the horizon. The sun was already making its descent, with perhaps two hours of daylight left. Sakura realizes that she had not left the village for the better part of a year. Peace truly does change the flow of life, she thinks. They travel in silence, with nothing but the sound of wind rustling the leaves as they rush through the branches. Sasuke glances back occasionally, and Sakura shoots him a smile each time.

After about four hours, the trees have grown significantly thicker, branches interweaving with one another until there's no choice but to continue moving on foot. Spring had finally arrived, with no evidence of winter remaining other than a chill breeze running through the trees occasionally. They reach a clearing, where Sasuke finally stops moving forward. Fireflies spark in and out of existence, while crickets chirp in the distance.

"We ought to stop here," says Sasuke, taking a step forward to scan the area. There are a few patches of unruly grass here and there, and an occasional flower is present within the landscape.

"I can still travel," says Sakura, joining him side by side.

"There's no rush," responds Sasuke, looking up towards the branches. "It's better to rest now and get an early start tomorrow."

Sakura nods, and the two of them decide to settle near a fallen tree. Sakura gathers some firewood, which the Uchiha ignites with a katon. They sit across from each other, and the blaze of the campfire keeps her warm. Sakura takes a look at her surroundings. The trees seem somewhat familiar, their thick trunks and tall stature almost foreboding.

"Reminds you of the chūnin exams, right?" says the Uchiha, shaking Sakura out of her thoughts.

Sakura looks back to Sasuke. There's a nostalgic look on his face again, the same as when he picked her photo frame of Team 7.

"These trees...they are quite like the ones from the Forest of Death," notes Sakura quietly, placing another piece of wood onto the flame. She doesn't often think of her first chūnin exam, but Sakura feels a vestige of anxiety bubbling up in her stomach. The fear and the panic when both Naruto and Sasuke were rendered unconscious by Orochimaru still remains present within her mind. Sasuke moves to rub the left side of his neck absentmindedly, as if to check whether or not the curse mark was still there.

"I never thanked you for helping me, did I?" he says quietly, eyes looking straight at her. His gaze is as intense as ever.

"For what? We were teammates, after all," smiles Sakura, emerald eyes sparkling back at him. "You and Naruto had saved my life many times over. It was time for me to repay the favor, though I was still too weak at the time."

Sasuke seems to mull over her words while prodding the flame with his own branch.

"In any case, thanks," he murmurs softly, before standing up.

"I'll take the first watch tonight. Get some rest."

Sakura feels inclined to protest, but Sasuke has already jumped up high into the branches, no doubt keeping a close watch on their surroundings. After adding several more sticks to the flame, Sakura leans against the fallen tree and falls asleep.

* * *

 **notes:** this was a really long chapter and it was actually kind of hard to write at times. i'd like to thank all of the new favorites, alerts, and reviews! your support really means a lot to me. if you'd like to read more sasusaku, i'd recommend heading over to my favorites page and reading ' **there's no such thing as sweeter a sting** ' by manhattan martini.

i hope you guys enjoyed the update! if so, leave a review? :)


	7. workaround

workaround

* * *

They reach the first hideout half past noon. It's a solid wall of brown rock, but upon closer inspection, there's a entrance formed by the appearance of cracked, darker sediment. Sakura's fist blasts open the door without a second thought, and Sasuke's eyes spin red and purple, scanning for any further dangers.

The pink-haired teen looks to the Uchiha, who nods and ventures further in. Ultimately, there is little more here than a small weapons cache, a week's worth of rations, and emergency medical supplies.

"Take whatever you need," says Sasuke quietly. Sakura picks out a handful of sharp kunai and surprisingly high-quality bandages before taking a step back. Sasuke decides to pick out several shuriken, sealing them into a scroll. He tucks the scroll underneath his cloak before turning to Sakura.

"I'm burning the rest," he says, and she nods.

The heat of Amaterasu is sudden, black flames licking ravenously under Sasuke's close eye. It takes only a few moments for the dōjutsu to burn through everything, leaving nothing behind. The flame itself dissipates shortly after, and Sasuke winces briefly. The Uchiha takes a careful breath while closing his left eye. The pink-haired teen takes notice.

"Sit down," says Sakura instinctively, medical training kicking in.

"It's nothing," he says, but her jade eyes are uncompromising. He complies, while she kneels next to him, cool hand brushing the bangs aside from his closed left eye.

"Open," she commands. The concentric circles contract into one onyx pupil. She frowns, noting the slightly bloodshot and swollen appearance of his left eye, no longer concealed by his bloodline limit.

"You winced. On a scale of one to ten, how bad was the pain just then?"

"Maybe a five or six."

Sasuke lets out a thin stream of air as she presses her hand to his face, applying a warm glow of green chakra. He leans into her briefly before pulling back sharply, but Sakura only murmurs for him to relax. The Uchiha leans back into her hand, both eyes closed in clear relief.

"There isn't much physical damage to heal," she notes, letting the green glow fade out. "It's a chakra-based issue. Specifically, too much chakra has been flowing through it."

Sasuke doesn't say anything, though his expression tells her he's not at all surprised by the diagnosis.

"Now that I think about it, doesn't your Rinnegan usually have tomoe?" she frowns, as Sasuke stands back up.

"Yes," he says, blinking his left eye experimentally. "I've been practicing a teleportation jutsu similar to Obito's Kamui. I must've overused my Rinnegan, so now all of my dōjutsu..."

He trails off, frowning.

Sakura doesn't ask why he would need such a jutsu, but nods along. Sasuke changes the subject quickly, explaining their route to the next hideout. She nods along, though her attention is focused on his left eye, obscured once more by his bangs.

Before long, they both move to the mouth of the cave, getting ready to leave. Sasuke pauses to stare at her for a moment too long, and Sakura can only smile awkwardly, feeling heat spread across her cheeks. She's still not used to his presence, let alone his stare.

"Thank you," he finally murmurs, before moving forward.

* * *

"Don't use your dōjutsu," warns Sakura, hopping from branch to branch. She traces Sasuke's steps, the Uchiha about two paces away. He doesn't give any reaction to her statement, moving forward silently.

"Your condition won't improve if you do," she continues, increasing her pace to speak to him in parallel. "And it might even get worse," Sakura adds, trying to gauge any reaction.

Sasuke's visage remains as impassive as ever, but his eyebrows furrow slightly.

"We can't just leave the hideouts untouched," he says after a few moments.

She frowns. "The rations and medical supplies should be okay to leave. We'll inspect them carefully and report them to the village for documentation."

But as for the weapons...

There have been reports of roaming bandits recently, and leaving open caches of weaponry was a poor idea to ensure future peace. They wouldn't be able to carry all of the weapons on their journey, so some of them would eventually have to be destroyed.

"Can any of your jutsu function similarly to Amaterasu?" she asks, trying to think of alternatives.

Sasuke shakes his head.

"My sealing jutsu can put away a significant number of shuriken. But I only have so many scrolls, and we'll be on the road for a while. My fire jutsu, if given some time, could potentially melt them down," he says thoughtfully.

"But Obito always designed the weapons to be used in conjunction with elemental jutsu, so it might take too long, if it works at all."

Sakura curses her uselessness once more. She had few offensive jutsu, and using her prodigious strength to pummel kunai and shuriken into tiny shards of metal did not seem particularly attractive. Medical ninjutsu couldn't help her, unless—

"I have an idea," Sakura says brightly, lips curving upwards. She had almost forgotten how versatile Tsunade's training had been.

Sasuke turns to look at her, raising an eyebrow. "Care to explain?"

"I don't want to tell you yet," she says coyly, flexing her fingers. "It might not work, and after all, if I tell you, it'll ruin the surprise!"

Sasuke smirks and nods before slowing down his pace, letting Sakura take the lead.

* * *

They do not reach the hideout by the end of the day. Twilight sets upon them faster than Sasuke seems to expect, and Sakura's suggestion to make camp for the night is met with a brief scowl. Sakura can't help but tease the Uchiha.

"You're curious, aren't you?" she grins, with armful of firewood. "Curious to know what jutsu could possibly replace the Uchiha's ultimate offensive technique?"

Sasuke smirks, but doesn't take the bait. He lights the firewood with a small katon, and she admires the sharp curve of his jawline and the way his torso expands when he breathes in air and exhales flame. Sasuke briefly glances up at her, but her jade eyes are already admiring the skies above, as if she would never give him a second thought, much less admire his physical frame.

They sit across from each other, flame in between the two of them.

"Let's take a look at that eye again," says Sakura, making her way over to the raven-haired male. He remains silent, but brushes his bangs out of the way for her.

Sakura takes another long look at him when his eyes are closed, the green glow of her hand against his left eye. He almost looks like he's asleep, lips slightly pursed, muscles completely relaxed. When it's clear that the physical irritation can no longer be solved by her healing prowess, Sakura lets the healing chakra fade away and rests her palm against his cheek.

Just for a second, she tells herself.

But that second stretches into two, then three, four, five, until she gives up on counting. Sakura brushes his face lightly with her thumb, but the Uchiha remains silent, his eyes shut the entire time. His skin is still unmarred, despite the countless battles he's fought.

She doesn't see his right hand reach up, and when his fingers slide around her thin wrist, Sakura's breath nearly hitches. He lowers her hand to the ground, the sensation of their fingers brushing against each other like warm bursts of sunshine. The moment is over, and Sakura begins to stand and return to her side of the fire.

"Stay," he tells her, voice firm and unwavering.

Sakura doesn't refuse his command, sitting next to him just so that their hips barely brush. They are silent for the rest of the night, jade and onyx eyes watching the fire until it burns out into countless embers.

And if Sakura ends up leaning on Sasuke to sleep, it is nothing but an accident.

* * *

They leave early in the morning, just as the sun peaks beyond the horizon. Sasuke shifts slightly to wake Sakura up, who shakes herself out of a daze. Her breath is still visible in the air, one last remnant of winter days.

"It's cold," she murmurs, acclimating herself to the bracing temperature.

"Do you want my cloak?" asks Sasuke, right hand moving to unclasp the top button. Sakura only smiles and shakes her head, motioning for them to move forward. They say nothing about the previous night, but the warmth of his body lingers against her cheek.

They reach the hideout a little before noon. There's nothing blocking the entryway, but Sasuke points out a wire trap hiding behind several rocks. She dismantles it quickly, causing a fuma shuriken to clatter from the ceiling. The Uchiha seals it away neatly, before the scroll in-hand retreats underneath his cloak once more.

There aren't any rations at this location, and it doesn't take more than a few minutes for Sakura to look through the medical supplies. She collects some fresh alcohol pads, before leaving the rest in a crate. As for the armory, it's much smaller than the first hideout. There are a set of kunai, shuriken, and some wires. Sasuke pockets the wires quietly, before taking out another sealing scroll.

After Sasuke seals away whatever shuriken he can, Sakura lays out one kunai in front of her, hands growing green. The Uchiha is silent, crimson and amethyst eyes watching intently.

Sakura takes a breath to focus, and the green grow of her hands becomes sharper in nature. She places her hands against the kunai, and after a brief moment, Sakura throws the kunai against the wall. It shatters into a myriad of tiny metal shards.

"It's a clever jutsu," murmurs Sasuke, the pinwheel of his Sharingan whirring back to black. "You used your medical ninjutsu to reverse the tempering process."

Sakura nods. It was typically an offensive technique for medics if they had to get involved in combat at all. A quick tap to a tendon or a joint, and it would severely disable an enemy's capacity to move. Someone with incredible chakra control like Sakura could even dismantle the bonds between metal.

"Very clever," he says again quietly.

Sakura feels the nape of her neck glow hot, but turns away and repeats the process on the rest of the kunai.

"Should we break them all? Or just leave them?" asks Sakura, turning over one of the finished products in her right hand.

"Leave them. Civilians won't venture out this far, and shinobi from villages are well-stocked. Only criminals and thieves would really go scavenging for weapons now."

"They'll be in for a nasty surprise, I bet," says Sakura, neatly arranging the kunai back in their original positions. "We'll do this until your dōjutsu recovers. It's good practice for me anyway."

Sasuke nods, a small smirk on his face.

"What's so funny?" she frowns, hands on her hips.

"Amaterasu is still faster," he notes matter-of-factly, turning to leave the hideout.

"Get back here!" Sakura huffs, before following his lead.

It's not until Sakura catches up to him and hears the soft sound of Sasuke's laughter that she realizes he's only teasing.

* * *

 **notes:** thanks again to all the new favorites, alerts, and reviews! i appreciate the positive feedback. it means a lot to me. :) i'll see you guys at the mountains' graveyard next week ;)


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